Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother Burhan,  Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah.

You are doing a great job. May Allah accept your efforts and keep you guided. Aameen.

Most of your answers are very good except sometimes you give a generalized answer or incomplete answer to the question asked.

Regarding the subject, you did not answer if one can see Prophet (saws) in the dream. On one side your are saying that  "Human beings have absolutely no control over what kind of dreams they experience" and on the other side you quoted two hadeeths mentioning "And whoever sees me in a dream then surely he has seen me, for Shaytaan cannot impersonate me" and "  "Whoever has seen me in a dream, then no doubt, he has seen me, for Shaytaan cannot imitate my shape.". But you didnot mentioned if one can the Prophet and how.

Therefore, please explain further if it is possible to see the Prophet (saws) in the dream,  if yes what are the possible ways. There are peoples who claims that they saw Prophet (saws) in their dreams. How we explain it and how one can be sure that they saw Prophet or someone else.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Is it possible to see the Prophet in dream?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

My beloved and dear Brother in Islam, we sincerely apologize to you and seek the forgiveness of Allah Subhanah if the shortcomings in our writings have led to any misunderstanding.

First and foremost, we reiterate again that both these statements are facts and must be read completely independent of each other:

Human beings have absolutely no control over what kind of dreams they experience.

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘And whoever sees me in a dream then surely he has seen me, for Shaytaan cannot impersonate me.’

Q-1: But you did not mentioned if one can see the Prophet and how.

If the question is ‘can one see the Prophet (saws) in a dream?’; then the answer is: ‘Yes.’ Since human beings have absolutely no control over what kind of dreams they experience, then the question ‘how can one see the Prophet (saws) in a dream’ becomes irrelevant; because there is nothing one can do that will enable him to see the noble Prophet (saws) in his dream!

What one sees or experiences in a dream is in the sole power and domain of Allah Subhanah. If Allah Subhanah Wills and Pleases, He may show whomever He Wills a vision of the Prophet (saws) in one’s dream. Neither the Prophet (saws) himself, nor the person having the dream has any control over the contents of the dream! The contents, timings, elements, etc. of the dreams are in the Absolute and Sole Control of Allah Subhanah, the Lord of the Worlds Alone.

Q-2: Therefore, please explain further if it is possible to see the Prophet (saws) in the dream

Yes, if Allah Subhanah Wills and Pleases to honor someone and show him a vision of the noble Prophet (saws) in his dreams; it is definitely possible to see the Prophet (saws) in a dream.

Q-3: if yes what are the possible ways.

The one and only way for it to be a possibility to see the Prophet (saws) in one’s dream, is if Allah Subhanah Wills and Pleases to show someone a dream of the Prophet (saws). Thus if one wishes to see a vision of the Prophet (saws) in his dreams, he must implore and beg Allah Subhanah to honor him with a vision of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in his dreams.

Q-4: There are peoples who claims that they saw Prophet (saws) in their dreams. How we explain it and how one can be sure that they saw Prophet or someone else.

Q-4a: How we explain it:

The burden of explanation should be on the person who claims to have seen the Prophet (saws) in his dream!

Q-4b: how one can be sure that they saw Prophet or someone else.

If one who had met the Prophet (saws) in his lifetime had a dream of the Prophet (saws), then he would recognize the features of the Prophet (saws), and thus he could be sure that it was none other than a vision of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in his dreams.

But today if one is blessed by Allah Subhanah to have a vision of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in his dreams, either someone in the dream would introduce the Messenger of Allah (saws), or the Prophet (saws) would introduce himself in the dream.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.110 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "Name yourselves with my name (use my name) but do not name yourselves with my Kunya name (i.e. Abul Qasim). And whoever sees me in a dream then surely he has seen me, for Shaytaan cannot impersonate me. And whoever tells a lie against me (intentionally), then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.123 Narrated by Anas

The Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever has seen me in a dream, then no doubt, he has seen me, for Shaytaan cannot imitate my shape."

In light of the above authentic narrations, it is not possible that Allah Subhanah would show a dream where an imposter claims to be the Messenger of Allah (saws)! If Allah Subhanah has honored someone with a vision of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in his dreams, then one can be sure that it was the Prophet (saws) and none else.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan